FOLLOWING my last Sunday’s article in which I mentioned that Sabah is in great need of elite officers, I have had some chats with friends and concerned Sabahans on the subject. All, without exception, agreed that there is a great need of such a corps of elite officers. A few reasons have been given, the most important of which are the followings.
Definition of elite in the context of this article: The choicest or best of officers of the Sabah Government.
Some attributes of elite officers in the context of Sabah: [a] Excellent leadership [b] Deep desire to excel [c] On-going training for quality performance. [d] Team identity. [e] Compliance of laws. [f] Communication skills. [g] Strategic mindset. [f] Physical fitness to perform assigned duties. [g] Skills for performance of assigned duties. [h] Love for Sabah.
Service gaps in Sabah’s delivery system. It cannot be denied that there are many gaps, some are very large ones like the Imbak Canyon, in the delivery system in Sabah. It is not uncommon that Sabahans are being made to wait for months on end for a reply to a simple, mundane request for service/approval.
ADVERTISEMENT
Too many matters still take months and months, some years. Equally usual, Sabahans have been told that their files have going missing and asked to resubmit. How on earth can files be lost in government offices if there are proper management and system?
YBs are being kept unproductively busy to meet requests for support letters for this and that. For the letters from YBs, common Sabahans have to wait also. The ultimate frustration is that even with these letters from the YB, things still don’t move most of the time. Most of these letters have become useless pieces of papers. Much revamping is overdue.
Very irritating to the public is to be told they can’t be served cos:
[a] The officer has gone for coffee, asked to come back in a few hours. Sometimes, the officers don’t return from coffee.
[b] The officers have gone for a course, come back 1 week, some times 2 weeks, in some cases, months.
[c] The officers refuse to receive payment. These and many irritating practices for the public are suffering can be overcome easily by simple management solutions.
If the delivery system can produce across the board the high standard of service that can be found in UTCs and Land and Survey Department, efficiency and productivity in Sabah can improve by many 100 percentages.
Both UTCs and the Land and Survey Department are mostly computerized, system driven and staffed by service orientated officers. SKN Safar, when he was the Director of Land and Survey, has pioneered the use of computer systems and digitization.
He has upped the service standard never seen before.
For example, Sabahans, using their mobile phones can access information of all land titles! The first in Malaysia.
Sabahan public are the customers of the Sabah Government and should be treated with dignity, not as beggars from the street.
The standard in the delivery system and the mindset in many officers and departments must change as Sabahans are being deprived from the benefits of Hajiji’s efforts to improve the economy.
There must be elite officers to spear head this transformation of mindset-change in the quality of service from the Sabah Government to all Sabahans.
ADVERTISEMENT
To ensure proper and speedy implementation of Hajiji’s restructuring Sabah’s economy.
It is already in the public domain frequently that investments have poured into Sabah in unprecedented amounts. More are in the pipe line. Outstanding ones are Nexilus and Kibing, both of which have recruited many Sabahans and have sent some for trainings in South Korea and China.
Nexilus has confirmed to MIDE Minister Phoong in his visit to its headquarters, of its intention to invest an additional sum of RM2 billion. SOGIP is now fully taken up. So is KKIP. Hajiji has announced 2 new industrial parks with a possible 3rd.
The oft complains on water and power shortages are being addressed Minister Shahelmy in a very professional manner. Hajiji has just announced the RM4 billion hydro-dam in Tenom which will alleviate the supply shortfalls for both water and power.
With the rapidly improving Sabah’s economy, Sabah needs elite officers to manage key economic sectors to ensure the smooth implementation of these investments that Hajiji has brought in and that Sabahans will fully benefit from them.
Good example is Phoong’s MIDE which has delivered the first ever DP/construction approvals within 7 months for Nexilus and Kibing. A brilliant record of co-ordination and speed of government in action! There are some outstanding elite officers in MIDE!!!!. Worthy of emulation!
Effective elite officers can ensure Sabah’s full equity share of benefits from the Federal Government.
Sabah, Sarawak the same, has been ignored and short-changed by the Federal Government for 60 years. Among the many major problems is the lack of elite officers with the depth and width of knowledge and experience to comprehend, to negotiate effectively and where and when needed, to stand up and speak up for Sabah.
These elite officers can “fight” for Sabah in the formulation of fiscal/ monetary and all the important federal policies, especially budget allocations, and implementation of these policies. Also very much needed is effective representation by elite officers in all the important Federal GLCs, GLICs and institutions.
Sabah requires elite officers with the knowledge and appreciation in geopolitical developments and global economics urgently.
As Hajiji improves and expands the Sabah’s economy, Sabah will require elite officers to represent Sabah internationally.
He is already making moves to establish G to G economic relationships. It is therefore urgent and crucial for Sabah to identify elite officers with the necessary sophistication to comprehend and appreciate the evolving geopolitical developments, the dynamics of global economics and the confidence to interact with senior foreign government officials and international business leaders.
Sabah must have sufficient number of elite officers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Remember “He who has no control, loses all”
Sabah’s economic development has been greatly hampered in the last 60 years. Sabah has lost out and has been left behind. One reason is the lack of elite officers who could have protected our rights, and who could have developed the economy. In a nut shell, Sabah has lost control of our rights in Malaysia.
All countries which have made rapid advancements like Japan, Singapore and China, have developed elite officers as the back bone of their administration and development. Singapore has hand-picked and groomed outstanding officers from ivy league universities to take charge of key areas of the economy.
DPM and PM designate Lawrance Wong is one, selected for government service, politics, MP, government minister and now PM designate. Cause of Malaysia’s failure is playing too much favouritism. Same with Sabah.
Are there elite and potential elite officers in Sabah?
I have said it before and will repeat it here. Sabah has elite officers. Many are well qualified and possess the right aptitudes, qualifications and personalities.
The challenge is putting square pegs into square holes and round pegs into round holes. Can’t develop elite officers unless the present promotion system has a greater emphasis on meritocracy and provide opportunities for the best officers to prove themselves.
– The views expressed here are the views of the writer Datuk John Lo and do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Express.
– If you have something to share, write to us at: [email protected]
